DC has Destroyed and Disgraced Superman

Superman is my favorite comic book character of all time.  He is a fictional character, but a fictional character that represents inspiration and hope, and always wins.  The great Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegal created Superman as a way to reflect their imaginations of what it meant to be a true hero.  DC Comics, however, has managed to destroy that legacy over the last decade, turning Superman into a weak, dark and insignificant shell of his former glory. There are many reasons as to why DC Comics could be doing this, ranging from copyright issues to hiring radical leftwing activists to write their top characters.  Activists who are infusing their ideologies onto a character that represents America’s ideals in one simple phrase…Truth, Justice, and the American Way.  But DC has bent the knee and proactively hired people to write for a character they know nothing about…apparently.  In Superman Red and Blue #1, written by John Ridley and drawn by Clayton Henry and Jordie Bellaire, we see Superman reflect on a time when he was held prisoner, raped, and tortured at the hands of a Soviet named Colonel Koslov.  How’s that for an uplifting and entertaining Superman story?  DC has destroyed and disgraced Superman.  This issue was written back in May of 2021, but is worth adding to the stack of absolute disrespect DC Comics has for Superman.

Superman Always Wins

Superman Red and Blue reflects and expands on events originally told in World’s Finest #192 and #193 in 1970.   In that issue, Superman is captured by Colonel Koslov, of the Soviet Union, by stripping Superman of his powers with a bombardment of synthesized Kryptonite radio waves.  Batman is captured as well trying to locate Superman, and the two are kept captive, starved, and humiliated.  Superman has the tougher time, mentally and physically, because Koslov continues to bombard Superman with the Kryptonite radio waves, making him more susceptible to the starvation and torture.  Batman and Superman eventually devise a plan to escape and hold Koslov accountable, by switching costumes and looks.  Koslov thinks he is still dousing Superman with Kryptonite radio waves, when in fact, he is dousing Batman.  Superman regains his powers and the two escape, while at the same time Koslov is held to account by the Soviet Union for his incompetence.

John Ridley Wants to Censor Our History

John Ridley, who wrote ’12 Years a Slave’, ‘U-Turn’, Justice League, and much more, is a leftist progressive, who apparently wants to tear down the culture of Americana.  Superman is one of the biggest symbols of Americana there is, so why not demoralize and disgrace him as well.  Ridley is a firm believer, in my opinion, that America is racist, and that all representations of that racism in history, imagined or otherwise, should be censored.  Back in 2020, Ridley wrote an op-ed for the LA Times, in which he implored HBOMax to take down ‘Gone With the Wind’ from its line up, citing the movies disregard for the horror that was slavery during the Confederacy and its lack of representation.

“Gone With the Wind,” however, is its own unique problem. It doesn’t just “fall short” with regard to representation. It is a film that glorifies the antebellum south. It is a film that, when it is not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color”

“It is a film that, as part of the narrative of the “Lost Cause,” romanticizes the Confederacy in a way that continues to give legitimacy to the notion that the secessionist movement was something more, or better, or more noble than what it was — a bloody insurrection to maintain the “right” to own, sell and buy human beings.”

“Let me be real clear: I don’t believe in censorship. I don’t think “Gone With the Wind” should be relegated to a vault in Burbank. I would just ask, after a respectful amount of time has passed, that the film be re-introduced to the HBO Max platform along with other films that give a more broad-based and complete picture of what slavery and the Confederacy truly were. Or, perhaps it could be paired with conversations about narratives and why it’s important to have many voices sharing stories from different perspectives rather than merely those reinforcing the views of the prevailing culture.”

“I plan on keeping my subscription to HBO Max. But I hope that those in decision-making positions at WarnerMedia can understand how painful it is to scroll through the platform’s library and see it elevate one film in particular that has helped to perpetuate the racism that’s causing angry and grieving Americans to take to the streets.”

John Ridley Doesn’t Understand the Purpose of History

John Ridley doesn’t believe in censorship while asking that HBOMax censor ‘Gone With the Wind” through a veiled threat of cancelling his subscription.  He’s talking out of both sides of is mouth.  ‘Gone With the Wind’ is a cinema classic that was a story about survival.  It was also made in 1939 Mr. Ridley, and I think America has long before and since, learned its lesson on slavery.  It’s deplorable, it’s bad, and is a stain on this country that was a part of our history.  Ridley, in his ignorance, also failed to realize that he called for the blacklisting of a movie that featured actress Hattie McDaniel…the first black performer to win an Oscar.  How about focusing on that positive note.  You see, in a functioning, well structured society, like the United States is, we actually have the capability to learn a lesson.  We are the one country in the world who has learned their lessons on slavery.  There are many countries out there, including in Africa, where slavery still exists, and is prominent.  How about reflecting on the positive aspects of our history rather than promoting and propagandizing it in a negative light.  That only stokes the flames of hatred and division in this country, that have been drummed up by the likes of yourself and the Democratic left, who utilize a false racism, like it was big business.  I’m 100% positive that at least 99.9% of people in this country think slavery was bad.  Why hide the history of it?  Wouldn’t you want children and adults to learn from history rather than hide and bury it?  That seems like cowardice to me.

Can Anyone Ever Imagine Reading a Story About Superman Being Raped?

In DC comics’ infinite wisdom, they decided to hire this high profile leftist, to write a mini series for Superman, in which we have Superman tortured and raped by men in the very first issue.  Sounds like a win win for the greatest superhero on earth, right?  Ridley uses the original World’s Finest story as a backdrop for his story.  He has Clark Kent reflecting on his time in Koslov’s death camp, before an interview with his former tormentor.  He talks about how nervous he is, and how his hands are sweating at the anticipation of the face to face interview.  I’m cringing just even writing this.  Clark then proceeds to go into detail about how he was tortured, and that is when this story absolutely goes off the rails.  We see pictures of Superman bent over a chair with implied objects and men being used to sodomize him as he’s forced to look at Koslov.  This is a comic book right?

“I was held for eight months.  Eight months of starvation, indoctrination, and forced labor. Eight months of being used as a propaganda tool to prove the weakness of the West. But…I’m Superman, right? Superman’s invulnerable. Superman can survive anything. That was the lie I told myself every night.”

“But every day…every day they would drag me into the ‘interview room. Every day they would restrain me in a way that left me exposed and vulnerable. And everyday for eight months, they…they did things to me.”

“They did things to me while I was forced to look at him. Nikolai Koslov. The commander of the Shervernaz, the Devil of Lubania.  It wasn’t just the torture. Koslov showed me what it was like to be truly without power. Helpless in a way Lluthor or Braniac never made me feel. Humiliated. Shamed.”

In an interview with CBR about the mini series, Ridley explained the reasoning behind writing that story.

“So for me, anytime that you can see heroes, as people where there’s pain, where there’s loss, where there are things that they can’t control, where they’re made to feel human, where they doubt themselves, there’s an element of real-life in there.  Now, I understand that so much of comic books is about wish fulfillment, and I don’t want to take any of that away, but part of wish fulfillment to me is not about being so super that you’re impervious, but being so human that part of being extraordinary is just getting past some of your own fears and anxiety.”

DC has Completely Forgotten Why Comics Were Created

I’m sorry, but this guy just doesn’t get the comic book genre.  Comics were created, written, and drawn by people with anxieties and fears so they could escape those anxieties and fears.  They could be brought into a world they could imagine themselves in, where they are the hero and no one judges them.  If John Ridley wanted to write a book or create his own comic book about fears and anxieties, I’m all for it.  Create your own superhero to break down and demoralize, and see how well it will sell.  Ridley continued on in the interview to equate the Covid Pandemic with Superman’s vulnerabilities…seriously?  I don’t entirely blame Ridley, however, DC Comics is to blame as well.  They have obviously forgotten what comic books mean to the average nerd.  Ridley then ended the interview, by answering a question about a quote, from issue one of Superman Red and Blue, that said “It’s easy to ‘move on’ when you’re the victimizer, and not the victim,” and what the inspiration behind that quote was.  He was basically correlating Superman’s rape story to traditionally marginalized people.

“That is my perspective about the prevailing culture in this country.  When bad things happen to people who are traditionally marginalized, there’s this feeling of okay, we get it, it was wrong, let’s just move on.”

DC Comics Has Been Destroying Superman for the Past Decade

Why is DC allowing this kind of garbage in a Superman comic?  Sales?  I doubt it, because other than Superman Red and Blue’s Debut at a pathetic number 59 in the charts, Red and Blue fell through the basement after that.  Superman Red and Blue went all the way down the charts to number 164 after its run was finished.  John Ridley was hired, in my opinion, to write Superman Red and Blue because of diversity and inclusion, and to make Superman look pathetic and weak.  The more important point, however, is that they are systematically destroying a beloved American icon, and it is quite disturbing.  DC Comics, has managed to have Superman denounce his American citizenship, protest for climate change, reimagine his iconic slogan of Truth, Justice, and The American Way to Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow, be raped by mortal men, and become bi-sexual.  Superman is an icon that put comic books on the map.  DC should revere this legend of the superhero genre, and not minimize his contribution to American pop-culture.  But instead, they would rather break down a beacon of strength and hope for Americans of every shape, size, color, and creed.  Well done DC Comics, well done.

Related: No Allegiance to America

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